North Ogden man calls police to report assault of neighbor, then shoots himself

By McKenzie Romero , Deseret News

Published: Sunday, Aug. 2 2015 3:04 p.m. MDT

A North Ogden man shot himself early Tuesday after calling police and saying he had assaulted his neighbor. (Shutterstock)

NORTH OGDEN — A North Ogden man shot himself early Tuesday after calling police and saying he had assaulted his neighbor.

Police received the call about 6:30 a.m., and the man hung up the phone after saying he had assaulted his neighbor, Ogden police detective Paul Rhoades said.

Officers responded to a townhouse complex at 435 E. 2650 North and noticed blood on the exterior of the building. When they knocked, a man inside asked who was at the door. When officers responded it was the police, they heard a gunshot, Rhoades said.

After the shot was heard, a woman who lives in the home opened the door for police, who reported she was bloody and dazed as she told officers the man inside had just shot himself.

Police confirmed that the man inside, Todd Alan Barber, 54, was deceased and appeared to have a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Barber lived in an adjacent unit in the building.

The woman told police she awoke about 5:30 a.m. with Barber standing over her, armed with handgun, and that he began physically assaulting her, Rhoades said. During the assault, Barber fired one shot into the floor, police said, though it's unclear whether he intended to shoot the woman.

The assault continued in a downstairs area of the home, where Barber fired another shot into the floor, Rhoades said.

The woman was taken to McKay-Dee Hospital Center in serious condition. Her 6-year-old son, who was in the home at the time, was uninjured but was taken to the hospital for observation, Rhoades said.